The Muench Bunch

3 Horses Running... Jayden has three horses that she works with, loves, calls her own, and competes on. Each has a unique running style, each one is at a different level, and each one has pros and cons. There is so much to barrel racing and the horse you run. Friday Jayden took Joker and Astro to a barrel race in Elkhart. She has been working on different things with each one. Joker is 6 and has a good foundation and is starting to run better and faster times. I still see more speed in him once he really gets pushed. Right now Jayden is fine tuning his turns and runs. Astro is a speed demon, he runs like no other, so much so that it is hard to make the turns. Jayden has been working on having control in her run and getting him to keep his shoulder up so as not to hit barrels. He also has started to blow out on the outside of the second barrel. He has been by far the hardest horse to ride. When practicing and working on things, he tends to get bracey and hot. Jayden has been trying diff

Corn Prices.... 90% off farmers are struggling this year. It is a sad reality and the falling prices. Mark studies and follows the markets. He stratagizes and plans. He puts a lot of time and effort into making some very hard choices. He is usually on the right side of the markets and he can feel good about it. Even when he stratagizes and uses fundamentals, the USDA reports come out and hit them in the gut.  Today corn was down the limit. It just doesn't make any sense, it never does. When you look around and see the crops, hear the reports, see the floods and damage, prices should be high and rising. What makes sense with crops is never as it should be with prices always leaving you guessing and frustrated. , June 28 (UPI) -- Corn prices plummeted Friday after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released data on the number of acres planted, showing numbers that were far higher than previous predictions. However, the USDA has warned that that numbers may not be accurate.   This

Sunday evening we went to Ames to celebrate my Dads birthday at Hickory Park. After we ate, Jayden had a date. She was embarrassed and didn't want to make a big deal out of us meeting him. It was the first date so we laid off. We did however watch her get into his big jacked up truck with the name of his farm on the back window. She later told me it was ok and he isn't someone she is really interested in. Wednesday- Jayden and Luke went to Jewell for ice cream for Peepaw's birthday. In the evening Jayden and I rode horses with Luke. We tried to get him to lope Tex. Our pressuring him created tears and made for a frustrated boy. I know you can't pressure him, its got to be in his own time. He has always been that way. We have been encouraging him trying to let him do it on his own. We are counting down to the county fair and it is so important that he be ready and confident. Thursday was booked from the time we got up until we went to bed. Luke and I started out

Pride is a sin. Being gay is a sin. Gay pride is being promoted and pushed into the spotlight more and more all the time. I went to pick up a photo I ordered in Hobby Lobby and a person helped me. I tried to determine if it was a girl wanting to be a guy or a guy wanting to be a girl. It had both features. It had short hair and kind of a deeper voice, yet fingernails and physical features of a woman. I thought the nametag would help me, but the name read "A". Oh my. On to Target, the store I used to love to shop at. I have always been a big fan of Target, I do all my shopping there and fill prescriptions. I am there on a weekly basis. When walking through the store, there are many rainbow sections with signs that say "Pride". Little girls t-shirts that have rainbow hearts and the word"Pride" or "Love is love". Children should not be brain washed into this whole lifestyle. Ugh. There are rainbow packaged everday products that when purchased go to

I scheduled a physical with my doctor in May and she noticed my thyroid seemed large. After she mentioned it, I noticed in the mirror, she was right. Nobody had ever pointed that out to me before. The doctor had me do some blood work along with an ultrasound. Sure enough my thyroid was enlarged and my numbers were elevated.  I was very dissapointed with my doctor. She never explained anything after all the test and I never saw her again. She just prescribed me medication and I did some research on the internet. I discovered I would take the meds for the rest of my life. I have a condition called Hypothyroidism. I wonder if it was a result of me being on an estradiol patch. I remembered that my Aunt Alice had hers removed many years ago. I never talked to her about it or asked her any questions. I guess it could have been worse and I hope it won't create more problems.

Susan celebrated her mother's 80th birthday with a big family party. Mark was sick, so the 3 kids went without us. Mark wanted me home, not really sure what I was supposed to do other than be there. Guys are so very needy when they are sick. The kids enjoyed spending time with cousins and stayed the night at various places. Jayden was a little stir crazy having to drive her brothers nearly 3 hours each way.

My girls... Paula and Jess have been friends from pre-school age. Paula lived down the road, both girls went to church with us. There was also ballet, 4H , and sports through the years. These girls have been genuine friends through the years. Paula and Jess both had baseball tournaments for their boys near Paula. We came up with the idea to all get together at Paula's for the weekend and spend time together. It was a great plan and we met mid morning, had a snack and munchies for lunch and visited all day. Later Paula's husband Todd dropped us off at a local winery where we had pizza and a few drinks. Todd was super, he picked us all up, made homemade pizza for all the kids for supper, and got the hot tub ready for us girls to enjoy. In the morning, he was on the committee to help with a local fishing tournament. He got up early to haul his grill down by the water and grill all the tournament kids hot dogs. Then he spent the day taking his four kids to different baseball and s

The Hidden Acres job barely paid the gas to get to and from work, it certainly wasnt the money making job Jayden had hoped for. Good thing Jayden was able to sell Summer the horse and get some good cash. She had been wanting to sell her all along. We pondered keeping her but just have too many horses to feed and care for. It was a hard decision, but she wasnt getting ridden enough and it was time to sell. Summer is the Palomino Jayden bought at the North Dakota sale barn and Aunt Alice had gone with her. Jayden had her listed for awhile, then a guy called and asked if he could buy her with cash for his wife as a gift. Jayden made a deal and personally delivered her. IT seemed like a really good home for her and the wife was super happy to have her.

Jake started working out at Hidden Acres the first week of May. He had to wait until he was done with field work and puts in 2/3 days a week. Without any advance warning, Jake was told he was not going to be needed now that the summer staff rolled in for June and July. They have over 150 summer staff that they need to keep busy and give jobs. The group of teens and older work long hours and live at camp working for very little pay, $200/ week. Jake had been getting an hourly minimum wage pay.  They wanted Jake to join the summer staff when he interviewed, but that was a commitment to the whole summer. It also adds up to such little pay. It truly is serving with a little pay.  Jake had gotten into a routine and was pretty sad to find out he wouldn't be back for awhile. In the meantime, Jayden took the job helping in the horse barn as one of the main wranglers helping teach and supervise the assistant wranglers, wranglers in training, and campers. Jake and Jayden were both at camp

I signed Luke up for swim lessons with Liz in the same session with cousin Alivia. Carina and I kept it a secret until the kids saw each other at the pool the first day. They were surprised and excited. Monday morning at 11 Am we started lessons. I always enjoy sitting in the patio furntirue beside the pool watching. Each year Luke gets a little better and is really getting to be a good swimmer. Unfortunately for him, lessons are the only time he really swims. We only make it to the pool a couple times a summer and most of the time at the pool is spent goofing and not swimming. Luke and I went to the park after and had our cold lunch sandwiches and took a walk. Jayden brought Ace and Traveler to the vet for an appointment in Ames and I met her after lunch and listened to the vets diagnosis and plan. She also brought Jake so I could take him to his derm appt. We had to coordinate our day just right to make it all work. Jake has been taking the same strong acne medication Jayden took.

 The first cutting hay was cut on a nice sunny dry June day. It was early enough that the humidity wasn't an issue. Then it rained a little, not a lot, but some. We waited, raked, and let it dry another day before baling. We did 300 bales total, all large squares and large round. We got it all baled before the bigger rain. The kids were in on hauling the round bales with Mark. He moved the bales with the tractor while Jayden and Jacob each drove a load to the cow barn where Tony unloaded with the skid loader. It was a long process that took two days load after load. All that hard work and all the hopes of the perfect hay, turned out to be too wet and all molded. It dropped it from high quality horse hay to lower priced cattle feeding. So frustrating! The second cutting hay went much better. We got some great hay cut and baled. Jayden helped rack a few small squares and both Jayden and Jake helped haul. Getting hay up in Iowa is a real challenge!

Luke had been to 4/ 4H horse project meetings with Ace. Some nights Jayden went along and brought a horse to ride after the meeting. Some nights Ace was a sweet puppy, docile, calm and easy going. He moved out like a pleasure horse, slow and relaxed. Other times he was a monster and lost his mind. Jayden describes it as he acts like a "fire breathing dragon". At home during feeding time, he will attack any horse in the pen with him as soon as he sees you walking toward his pen with feed. He charges, butts, kicks, bites, and chases Tex who has been in his pen for a few years. He also charges the fence, teeth barred at horses across his fence. He is aggressive and crazy. He also acts awful when he is hauled with our other horses. He tries to get at them over the top of the trailer slants. At horse project when we take two horses, he paws and stomps at the trailer, he swings back and forth and hops his front feet off the ground over and over.  He is also nutty when you load him

Jake spent an entire week with Great Uncle Lavern and Aunt Verna Mae down south in Pulaski. He so enjoys spending time with Uncle Lavern. Verna Mae was gone on a cousin trip most of the time so it was just the two guys. They had meals in Bloomfield at a little cafe. They went to an auction, did a lot of driving around and talk tractors, farming, and trucks. On Friday Jayden and I hauled to Ocseola for an IRCA rodeo with Joker. He ran a good pattern, was wide on second but clean and fast. Her goal was 18 and she ran exactly that. The times got real fast winning it was a 16.2 She knows Joker is not a solid finished barrel horse, but she has goals and little by little she can get him there. Whenever she runs in Osceloa, she remembers her first run on Ace in 2016, where she placed and took home an IRCA check. Of course, she is hoping to do that again. She is realizing how big a deal it was to have had such a successful season that year. Right now she is just hoping to get closer to the t

The bugs have been just awful now for a couple weeks. I am hopeful that it will get better, but it has not. The buffalo gnats have returned. They arent near as heavily populated as they were last May when they came out like the plague and killed chickens. They are however out and in your face and they bite leaving welts like mosquitoes. I am not sure which is worse and what is biting more. They are both bad and I get welts that swell and itch for several days. One bite last 3/4 days and itch so bad! I think I am more allergic to them than my family. Very little seems to help, all the bug spray in the world isn't enough. I wear my hair down around my ears and face, but they still manage to get me. They bite around my neck, face, ears, and scalp. IT has been sunny and nice out. I would like to be outside more, but after just doing chores I come inside with new bites. UGh! I feel bad for Jayden, she has been helping with trail rides at Hidden Acres with the bugs. She said th horses a

THe LGBQTL- I don't know what all the letters stand for, but I know it has to do with gays. Jayden took a class at Iowa State and they claim there are 52 genders. I recall male or female, you were created, formed in your mothers womb with either one genitalia or the other. There really is no question what a person is, God created man and woman. Right now all this transgender gay pride stuff is really being pushed in our faces.  Lately it has been front and center everywhere you look. This morning I opened my Google homepage, which is my home screen I see everyday and there it is Google all sprawled out in rainbow with a video in celebration of gay pride. Just when did the rainbow get taken over completely to represent gays? The rainbow was stolen by the gay pride movement and it is everywhere. They have taken a biblical symbol of a promise God gave us and turned it into a representation of a sin. It is so degrading. Yesterday I opened my website to Shutterfly, where I like to order

Spring Lake cabins are popular and I always have to book them around the first of the year. You never know what the weather and schedules will be like when you book so far out. This year happened to be perfect. Luke was super excited to go, Jake really didn't care either way if he went, and Jayden and Mark didnt care for the idea other than to just go over for supper. That is probably because if they didnt come for supper, they would not eat. This cabin camping is definitely my thing, but I had hopes that it would be something the whole family would look forward to. The boys and I loaded up all the gear into the truck and headed for Spring Lake around 5. Fitting everything in the truck was the first challenge. There is just so much a person needs.   Jake had worked at Hidden Acres all day and felt bad he couldn't work longer. He said he had many unfinished projects. It bothers him not to complete something he has started. On our way to the lake we drove through a dark rain clo